Friday, September 4, 2009

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Chris Kelly: Van Jones Hearts Meg Whitman Top
Meg Whitman, the fourth richest women in California, has been running for governor while refusing to debate an opponent, face an impartial interviewer, or address an unfriendly crowd. She has never held public office, rarely even voted, and has no readily apparent ideas. There's a word for this figure in Republican politics: Frontrunner. She's committed $50 million dollars of her personal fortune to the race, she says, and so far she's won the has the full and passionate support of a woman named Pattie Sellers at Fortune magazine. It's like a groundswell. Or it was, until now. That's all over. Because California just found out the sinister truth about so-called "Republican" Meg Whitman: She loves black Marxists. And not just any black Marxists. She specifically loves the black Marxist who connects ACORN to the SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION! A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER who actually believes in GLOBAL WARMING! A principal architect of THE PORKULUS! AN OBAMA CZAR! She loves VAN! JONES! Who's black. And a Marxist. You might even call him a black Marxist. Because of how black he is. And because he's a Marxist. But here, I'll let her tell you herself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSn37TMXZO8 There's a guy over in Oakland, I think his name is Van Jones. And he and I were on a cruise last summer in the Arctic, on climate change. And I got to know him very well. And a lot of the work he's doing to enfranchise broader communities I'm a big fan of. He's doing a marvelous job... I'm a huge fan of his. He is very bright, very articulate, very passionate. I think he is exactly right. Now, as a rational person, you might be wondering what makes this such a big deal. But that's because you don't watch Glenn Beck. Van Jones is the co-founder a group called Color of Change. Color of Change organized a boycott of Glenn Beck's TV show. So Glenn Beck spent the last week with a dry erase board proving that Van Jones is behind everything that scares white people in America, including the beach. Beck also called Jones a communist - about a thousand times -- and proved, with his white board, that President Obama has put him in charge of the Federal government. Which is a line that even the McCarthyites never crossed. I mean, they never went after the President. They never said the communists were in charge . And that was when there was an actual Soviet Union, full of actual communists. Almost seems like Glenn Beck is a delusional simpleton. Who thinks he's a con man. Impersonating a delusional simpleton. But back to Meg Whitman. Meg Whitman once said something nice about Van Jones, which didn't mean anything at the time, but now proves she supports collectivism and miscegenation. The video is a couple of months old but it appeared, out of nowhere, on YouTube this week. Today Steve Poizner - who's running against Whitman for the Republican nomination - put out a new version, cleverly edited into the credit sequence from The Love Boat . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QFfciwRqaU Yes, The Love Boat . That's Republican satire. Back me up, 1977. Why not duck some more debates, you big disco duck? Is it a big deal? It wouldn't be, if Meg Whitman would give us anything else to talk about. That's the problem with a campaign strategy based on perfect silence. Other people get to fill in the gaps. If you won't tell us who you are, you might as well be Cinque's sea wife. So this kind of thing can stick. Remember, she's running as a Republican. And right now those people are crazy. Van Jones isn't the end of Whitman for Governor, it might not even be the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning. ** Hey, did you notice how the nicest complement Meg Whitman could come up with for a black man was "articulate?" Must be because he has a law degree from Yale and she went to Princeton. Those people are always at each other.
 
The Weirdest Stimulus Projects: Recovery Act Spending Top
The government has spent about $85 billion on Recovery Act projects so far, but not all of money is being used to fix roads, provide more Medicare aid to states, amp up clean energy programs or school repair.
 
Ben Wyskida: The Nation's Special Issue, Food for All. Top
So much coverage of food politics tends towards elitism, or at least luxury: what we can and should be buying. Mine certainly does - I've been  blogging lately about my Whole Foods boycott , and before that I think I wrote something about organic cheese. But there is a much broader movementout there towards food democracy: the effort to ensure healthy food for everyone, and to change our global food systems so that we all have more control over what we grow, buy and eat. In short: It's bigger than my hot bar organic Indian lunch, and that's easy to forget. I'm proud, then, to be flacking (it's my day job)   The Nation's  special issue  that's out this week - "Food for All".  It's our second "food" issue in three years, but this one looks closely at what kinds of changes are needed to "democratize" food; at some of the current battle lines in food activism; and at ways everyone can get involved. There are TWO top tens (break up The Nation !) one about ten ways to support community gardening, by the great Walter Mosely, and the other about ten great ways to improve our food system. Also? - There is a forum with luminaries like Alice Waters and  Blue Hill's  Dan Barber; - a great slideshow about a sustainable farming revival in one of America's poorest counties; - pieces from Michael Pollan and Anna Lappe (on dining hall campus activism!); - a survey of key food safety legislation moving forward;   - and, since it's  The Nation  and we like to stir up trouble, a look at the work of the Gates Foundation fighting hunger in Africa, and if their approach is the right way forward. I'll just link to the main page for the whole issue-  if you are into food and food politics, there should be something for you. It's an effort at surveying the "food activism" landscape in a more comprehensive way and I wanted to share it with HuffPo readers; you tell me how we've done in the comments.    More on Food
 
Optiver Accused Of Oil Price Manipulation By CFTC Top
LONDON -- Its superfast, supersecret oil trading software was called the Hammer. And if the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is right, the name fit well with an intricate scheme that allowed commodity traders in Chicago working for Optiver, a little-known company based in Amsterdam, to put their orders first in line and subtly manipulate the price of oil to the company's advantage.
 
David Kronke: Glenn Beck Answers Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire Top
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
 Having the person who I finally cajole into shooting Obama blow me afterwards. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
 I'm insulted by the question's implication. Are you suggesting I have flaws and therefore do not deserve to voice my opinions? I will not be silenced! I surround you! What is the trait you most deplore in others?
 That they're not me. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
 Sanity. Which living person do you most admire?
 Frank Caliendo. His John Madden impersonation is spot-on! His Obama isn't very good, but I think he knows that, because he calls the character Charles Hussein Barkley or something. Which living person do you most despise?
 I don't despise anyone -- ask anyone, I'm a very open-minded guy -- but I do hate anyone who wants to destroy America, such as, oh, say, the President of the United States or any advertiser who won't place their spot in my show. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
 I just love this country ... (sniffles) ... so much... Also, fascism. Socialism. Totalitarianism. Oligarh. Rugburns. Haldol and please. What is your current state of mind?
 In love with my country, yet scared, terrified that my voice will be silenced, even though I appear on a network wholly committed to the message I have been charged to disseminate. What or who is the greatest love of your life? The Smoot-Hawley Tariff. What do you most value in your friends? That they don't smirk or giggle or circle their finger around their ears behind my back. When and where were you happiest? When I told a reasonably attractive woman with a nice rack that Obama was going to strip her of all her freedoms and she didn't laugh in my face. 
 If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? A surge protector. You know, for electronic devices that prevent voices from entering your head? That would be awesome. 
 Where would you most like to live?
 In an America where no fascists or communists live. In other words, in an America where there's no black President. No, scratch that, because then I couldn't foment hysterical rage and then no one would know who I am. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Being one of the first political pundits to divine all the lies and treachery of the Obama Administration, particularly given how Americans had forgotten the notion of dirty politics after the Bush Administration's keen adherence to honesty and integrity. What is your most treasured possession?
 My collection of whimsical Hummel figurines depicting the Anschluss. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Having your wife put up with your alcoholism, but drawing the line when you decide to become a Mormon. 
 On what occasion do you lie? Whenever there's a microphone in front of me. Who is your hero of fiction?
 Howard Beale. Except for the whole getting-gunned-down part. Which historical figure do you most identify with? Frank Caliendo, because he's so gosh-darn funny and his humor is so easy to "understand," if that's a word. Who are your heroes in real life? Anyone who makes me look vaguely reasonable, such as Lyndon Larouche or Ron Paul or Paul Lynde. What is it that you most dislike? Those crabs on beaches that don't care that you're there and you're bigger than they are and who are they, anyway, Barack Obama? What is your greatest regret? That I didn't cash in on the lack of oxygen flow to my brain sooner. How would you like to die? As a martyr, which would propel my final book, "How to Scare Friends and Influence Mouth-Breathers," to the top of the liberal-media's best-seller lists. What is your motto? "Some of my best friends have friends who know black people." More on Glenn Beck
 
Examining Monsanto's Greenwashing Top
In part, no doubt, to help salvage its GM-tarnished reputation, Monsanto now makes great play of its efforts to help engineer a second green revolution built around "sustainability".
 
Rep. Bachmann: Dems Want To Sabotage Me Because I Might Become President Top
On Mike Gallagher's radio program yesterday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) offered a novel theory as to why Democrats want her out of office: They don't want her to become the first woman president. More on Michele Bachmann
 
Len Berman: Top 5 Sports Stories Top
TGIF everyone, here's my Top 5 for September 4, 2009 from www.LenBermanSports.com 1. Quick Hits Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has been reinstated to the NFL effective the third week of the season. Vick heard some boos in the Meadowlands last night as the Jets sacked him 4 times in beating the Eagles 38-27. 17-year old Melanie Oudin from Marietta Georgia ousts #4 Elena Dementieva at the U.S. Open. Is it student athlete or student thug? After Oregon lost to Boise State last night in college football, senior running back LeGarrette Blount decked linebacker Byron Hout with a punch. My guess is Blount will now have plenty of extra time to attend classes. It's even a bad year for former Mets. Pitcher Jerry Koosman is sentenced to 6 months in prison in Wisconsin for tax evasion. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Tigers Hall of Fame announcer Ernie Harwell. A wonderful man and broadcaster battling cancer at the age of 91. 2. Milestones A couple of milestones could be reached by Derek Jeter and the Pittsburgh Pirates before this Labor Day weekend is over. Jeter may surpass Lou Gehrig as the Yankees all-time hit leader. How fitting if it happens this weekend. No Yankee has ever been more "workmanlike" despite his lofty wages as Jeter. The Pirates could clinch another losing record. Their 17th straight. Nobody has ever done that in any major sport. The fine working people of Pittsburgh deserve better. 3. Name that Tune Last Friday I talked about Seattle's Adrian Beltre returning to baseball wearing a cup after he got smashed you know where with a ground ball cupless. When he came to bat the other night they played the theme from the "Nutcracker Suite." "Great Balls of Fire" would have worked just as well. 4. Friday Mailbag The name game. S.D. writes that his teenage daughter says Mets stands for: "My Entire Team Sucks." And S.G. thinks the name of the team should be changed to "The New York Meds." And he says, "If Obama gets his way then the next time an injured player is taken off the field they'll have to wait until next season for an MRI and another season until they get surgery." Editor's Note: This is not a political blog. But "Meet the Meds" sounds like a good theme song to me. Many of you responded to the story about how long it takes some pros to earn $100-thousand. For example, A-Rod: 6 pitches. S.F. said: "Being a Junior College Head basketball coach it would take me 16 years to reach $100,000. And A.V. wrote: "In 1948 as an usher at the RKO Fordham in the Bronx I was making $.50/hour and no taxes were taken out. Editor's Note: Yeah, but that's when 50-cents was half a dollar! When I talked about sitting in the bleachers for a World Series game, J.B. wrote that his field level box seat at Yankee Stadium used to be $16. When they upped it to $125 in 2007 he was outta there. He hasn't attended a Yankee game since. And when I mentioned that I once helped Pee Wee Herman tie his tie, many of you wrote that you were glad I didn't shake hands with him. Editor's Note: I knew that was coming. (So to speak.) 5. Friday Fodder The NFL won't allow players to tweet during games. Ya' mean cellphone calls are OK in the huddle? --- Be still my heart. Hockey training camps open up next week. --- Do you think if I post a naked peep-hole video of myself on the internet, I can get on Oprah too? Happy Birthday: Former catcher Mike Piazza. 41. Bonus Birthday: Beyonce. 28. Today in Sports: Jim Abbott, a one handed pitcher for the Yankees, throws a no-hitter against Cleveland. 1993. Bonus Event: Swimmer Mark Spitz becomes the first Olympic athlete to win 7 gold medals at the same games. 1972. The Top 5 is taking off Labor Day. See ya' Tuesday. Enjoy the holiday weekend everyone.
 
Daoud Kuttab: Palestinian Nationalism Revisited Top
Palestinian nationalism has been a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, one cannot underestimate the important role it played in pulling together the Arab people of Palestine under a unified and clear national goal. But at a time when major countries in the world downplay nationalism in favour of regionalism, it appears chauvinistic and narrow-minded and has caused entire generations to sacrifice themselves in its name. Palestinian nationalism has its roots in the early 20th century, when it was widely viewed as a form of Arab nationalism. Reeling from 400 years of regressive Ottoman rule, Palestinians identified with the Arab goal of liberation from the Ottomans and their backwardness. Hence, it was not uncommon during World War I for Arab nationalists to ally themselves with the British who were fighting the Ottomans. At the time they believed in the promises made in the McMahon-Hussein exchanges about support for Arab independence if the Ottomans were defeated. But the British had also made an alternative secret promise to the Jewish community, later expressed in the Balfour Declaration favouring a Jewish state in Palestine. The discovery of these contradictory promises coupled with the results of the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916 -- which divided the Middle East into spheres of influence between France and Great Britain -- did little to dampen Arab nationalism. Nowhere was Arab nationalism more clearly focused on than in Palestine. 'Falastin Arabia' (Palestine is Arab) was perhaps the most repeated slogan chanted by Arab nationalists all over the region. In the 1930s, Arabs living in Palestine expressed their nationalism by opposing Jewish emigration and the sale of Arab lands to the Jewish Agency (whose unyielding principle was to secure land in Palestine for Jews). Palestinian nationalism, therefore, became pro falahin (farmers) and anti landowner. The tarboush (landowners head dress) was replaced by the farmers' keffiya. In 1948 the Palestinian nakbah (catastrophe) brought with it a new set of images. The refugee tent and later the key, symbolising the right of return, became Palestinian nationalism's most prominent symbols. Yet because Palestinians looked to the Arab world for their salvation, Arab nationalism was still stronger amongst Palestinians than a more localised Palestinian form of nationalism. All this changed after 1967. The loss of the rest of Palestine and the quick emergence of the PLO's armed struggle introduced a more limited nationalism that rejected victimhood in favour of pride in the fedayyin (armed guerillas). The armed struggle received a major boost following the battle in the Jordanian village of Karameh on the east bank of the Jordan in which Jordanians and Fateh fighters fought back an Israeli incursion. While the armed struggle in the 1970s was the PLO's raison d'etre, Palestinian nationalism inside the occupied territories faced a more fundamental challenge. Attempts by Israelis to deny Palestinian nationalism, most famously expressed by former Prime Minister Golda Meir who questioned the existence of the Palestinians as a national group, gave rise to a grass roots campaign to bring back Palestinian national symbols and give them expression through music, the visual arts and theatre. In the 1980s Palestinian nationalism was expressed through grass roots movements, student unions, national municipalities and medical committees as well as private colleges and universities. These groups, who were responsible for the first Palestinian intifada, rejected the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza while at the same time encouraged the PLO to recognise Israel within a two state solution. The failure of the intifada to produce the coveted state helped propel a sector of Palestinian society (initially supported by Israel because of their anti PLO rhetoric) who advocated religious Islamic ideology rather than the secular PLO version of Palestinian nationalism. While Islamic ideology and the goals of the Palestinian nationalists had much in common, they differed dramatically on the definition of the nature of the conflict with Israel and in specifying the type of state to which Palestinians should aspire. Whereas secular nationalists believed in an inclusive state where different ideologies can exist within it, the Islamists were happy to use democratic mechanisms to obtain power only to deny the rights of others to continue to exist under their exclusive ideology. The 21st century has seen a major deterioration in Arab nationalism. Major pan-Arab movements have been disgraced or have proven ineffective. Individual personal cults and dictatorships have caused this retraction; whether it was Egypt's Jamal Abdel Nasser or Syria's Assad regime or Saddam Hussein's Baathists, no Arab nationalist ideology or leader has survived. Pan Arabism is being replaced by a more individualistic approach whereby each country puts itself first. Many Palestinians feel that the retraction of Arab nationalism is helpful in that it downsized Palestinian nationalist expectations and forced Palestinian leaders to negotiate along a more moderate platform. On the other hand, this loss of Arab nationalism has so injured Palestinian aspirations that it has left them exposed to continued Israeli assaults and the absence of any serious international support. The world community, in this group's view, was no longer deterred by Arab nationalist military or economic power, affording international leaders the option of paying lip service to the Palestinian cause and a peace process rather than reaching real peace. Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist and former Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. His email is dkuttab@ammannet.net. This article is part of a series on nationalism and was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews). More on Syria
 
ABC News To Air Republican Response To Obama's Big Health Care Address Top
ABC News has decided to air a Republican response to Obama's big health care address to a joint session of Congress next week, a network spokesperson confirms to us, all but ensuring that the other major networks will follow suit. The decision will alter the politics of what promises to be a major political event with potentially dramatic consequences for the White House and for reform, and could set off a scramble among Republicans to be selected for the role of delivering that response.
 
Transsexual To Be Transferred To Women's Prison Top
LONDON — A British court issued a landmark ruling Friday, allowing a transsexual prisoner serving life for manslaughter and attempted rape to be transferred to a women's prison. High Court Deputy Judge David Elvin said the refusal of Justice Secretary Jack Straw and the prison authorities to transfer the 27-year-old was a violation of her human rights. The prisoner, who began gender reassignment treatment years ago to become a woman, was not named to protect her identity. Keeping her in a male prison "effectively bars her ability to qualify for surgery, which interferes with her personal autonomy in a manner which goes beyond that which imprisonment is intended to do," Elvin said. The prisoner's lawyer, Phillippa Kaufmann, said she would be transferred in the coming weeks. Although born a man, she began the process of gender reassignment while in prison. In 2006, she obtained a legal acknowledgment that she should be recognized as a woman. The prisoner, who was then a man, was originally sentenced to five years for manslaughter in 2001 after strangling his boyfriend to death. Days after his release, he tried to rape a female shopkeeper and was sentenced to life. The judge said the prisoner had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and had been aware of her condition from an early age. In evidence presented for the hearing, she said she had always felt like a woman. "For me it is simply a reflection of how it should have been from the start," she said, adding she hoped to have surgery soon to remove her penis. She has adopted a female name, had facial and body hair permanently removed and developed breasts after hormone treatment. Elvin said she looks "convincingly" like a woman, although she has been prevented from wearing skirts and other items in the male prison.
 
Gerald McEntee: A Message for Labor Day Top
On Labor Day 2009, we honor the tremendous contributions and sacrifices of workers who built this great nation. We must never forget that workers organized, marched, went on strike, and even gave their lives in the struggles that resulted in the 40-hour workweek, safe working conditions, secure retirement benefits and the right to a voice on the job. Workers are the bedrock of this economy and we have been at the heart of every movement for social justice and civil rights in our country. This is the first Labor Day in decades that we celebrate without the voice and leadership of our beloved friend Sen. Ted Kennedy. On every issue that we care about, Senator Kennedy was at the forefront. From civil rights to health care, from education to national security, right to the end, Ted was our strongest advocate. On this Labor Day, we mourn the passing of a giant -- the Lion of the Senate. America's working families face significant challenges today: the worst economy in decades, the health care crisis, massive job layoffs, and dwindling wages as living expenses rise. A new AFL-CIO study shows that young workers are less likely to have health care insurance or economic security than those 10 years ago, and one-third still live in their parents' home. The cost of health care coverage has skyrocketed. It threatens the economic security of working families... strains state and federal budgets... and reduces the competitiveness of American businesses, especially those that compete in the global market. Shamefully, more than 46 million people have no coverage at all. Those fortunate enough to have coverage too often find it's inadequate. It's not surprising, then, that medical expenses are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy and one of the main reasons families lose their homes in foreclosures. Reigning in health care expenses will help get our economy back on track, and we must all take part in the battle for reform. We must also do everything we can to help workers gain a voice in the workplace. By exercising our power at the bargaining table, unions were integral to expanding the middle class. Today, too many workers lack the power that we have. As activists and organizers, it is our duty to stand up for those workers who do not have a voice as passionately as we stand up for the members of our union. None of these challenges are insurmountable if we, as union members, as hard working Americans, come together -- work together -- to find solutions. The labor movement has done so in every decade, and today, we can do no less. We must be driven by what we've achieved in the past to move forward and build a stronger, more equitable nation. As the late journalist Murray Kempton said, "The union is not for yourself but for your children.... It does not arise to avenge the past but to claim the future." At our heart, that's what we have always been about: the future. In fact, our optimism has been the reason for our success; it has inspired us to create what did not exist. The best way to remember Senator Kennedy, to honor America's workers and to ensure a bright future for working families is to continue the work we've done so valiantly. So this Labor Day, let's recommit ourselves to helping other workers organize and fight for their rights. Let's work together to win meaningful reforms that ensure access to quality, affordable health care. Let's stand together for a better economy with good jobs and the right to join a union without intimidation. Let's dedicate ourselves to creating an America that lives up to its core values and its boldest promises for all of us. More on Civil Rights
 
Scott Mendelson: 2009 Summer Movie Review part I: The Moments That Mattered. Top
Before I get into the usual ' what movies grossed what and why ', I'd like to take an opportunity to recount the best and the worst moments of summer 2009. It was not the best of summers, and more movies disappointed than not over the May-August season. But there were diamonds ( The Hurt Locker for example) in the rough and even some of the 'rough' had a glimmer within. For the record, while I've tried to avoid explicit spoilers, please proceed at your discretion. In no particular order: Best moment of the summer - Up : The final page of Carl and Ellie's scrapbook is revealed. I can only hope to find a better movie this year, but I'm doubtful. No film moved me as much this year as Pixar's tenth animated epic, and no moment in this masterpiece was as gut-punch powerful as the second-act climax, where Carl finally pages through his beloved scrapbook and discovers its surprising contents. It was one of many moments of heartbreak and affirmation that made this one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time. At $290 million, it is the third-highest grossing non-sequel cartoon and the fifth-highest grossing animated film of all time. It is the front-runner for the Best Animated Film Oscar and stands a decent chance of breaking into the expanded Best Picture race. Discussion of this timeless fable became a simple question of not 'did you cry?' but 'when and how often did you cry?' (and if you didn't cry, 'what kind of soulless monster are you?'). Best moment in a terrible movie - Transformers 2 : Optimus Prime vs. Decepticons in IMAX. The lightning-fast success and inexplicable legs shown for the much-loathed Transformers sequel is a troubling sign that quality may be irrelevant when it comes to franchise pictures, and especially sequels to popular originals. But the film did contain one unarguably astounding moment, one that would merit repeat viewing where the film surrounding it not so ghastly. An hour into the film, Optimus Prime and the Autobots rescue Sam and Mikaela while the Decepticons give chase, eventually landing in a forest. At this point, the movie switches to IMAX 70mm film, covering the entirety of the 100-foot screen and making your eyes explode. What follows is an unparalleled action sequence, an astounding set of blindingly colorful and sharp images, that depicts to scale the awesome sight of 60-foot tall robots beating the holy hell out of each other. Unlike pretty much every other scene in either Transformers pictures, this one is coherently shot and absolutely alive with drama and wonder. For five glorious minutes, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is one of the best action films of the decade. Worst moment in good movie - Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince : Hogwarts invasion. First of all, director David Yates omitted the entire action finale from this sixth Harry Potter picture. Fair enough, Hogwarts takes plenty of damage in the seventh book, but the missing battle scene negates the whole point of having said Death Eaters show up in the first place. More unfortunate however is the handling of the climactic moment of the film. What was tragic (what) and jaw-dropping (who) and mysterious (why) in the original novel becomes so painfully telegraphed as to be painfully obvious to even a casual viewer. Half Blood Prince is still a pretty good movie, but its handling of one of my all-time favorite plot twists is downright criminal. Best villain - Inglourious Basterds : Christopher Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa. Granted, this was the worst summer for memorable bad guys on record (" Look out... it's Danny Huston as the guy who was Brian Cox in that much better X-Men picture!), but Waltz would likely have triumphed as king of the summer baddies in any given summer. This would-be Oscar contender took Quentin Tarantino's worst vice, unending dialogue for the sake of dialogue, and turned it into a razor-sharp weapon of intimidation and control thereby creating often-unbearable tension and suspense. Oddly enough, one could argue that just as a good action film rise and fall by their villains, good Holocaust films live or die by the complexity of their lead Nazi. Like Schindler's List , The Pianist , and Black Book before it, Inglourious Basterds makes its three-dimensional SS officer the most interesting character in the movie. Waltz ups the ante by creating the rare Nazi figurehead who's almost charming, even at his most vicious. Most obvious plot twist - Surveillance While amusingly acted and archly comic, this Jennifer Lynch noir exercise is undone by the relatively easy-to-guess nature of its main plot. And since most of the movie involves a certain amount of mystery, those unlucky enough to solve the puzzle early on have little to do but wait for the movie to catch up with you. If you're going to have an easy-to-guess plot twist, you'd better not make that the crux of the whole movie. Best plot twist - Orphan No spoilers here, but it's a doozy. Best unintentional laugh-out-loud moment - Angels & Demons : Climactic crash landing. Angels & Demons was dumb but fun, where The Da Vinci Code was dumb and dull. But the peak of silliness occurs at the film's climax, when priest Ewan Mcgregor transports a bomb via helicopter away from its intended target moments before detonation. Along with the initial shock that comes upon realizing that McGregor's Camerlengo Patrick McKenna does not intend to sacrifice himself comes the awe-inspiring image of McKenna parachuting out of the doomed chopper without a trace of style, bumping and crashing into this wall or that roof on his way to safety. The less than smooth landing may be more realistic, but the 'watch out for that tree' visuals resemble a Loony Tunes cartoon. Best intentionally funny moment - The Hangover : Ed Helms sings "What Would Tigers Dream Of?" It was the gross-out, vulgar, sexist, balls-out comedy that really wasn't any of those things. The film had little gross-out humor, most of the vulgarity was merely referenced in past tense, and the female characters were not condemned based on gender (notice how, in the climax, Rachel Harris's Melissa is called 'not a good person', rather than a 'bitch' or a 'whore'). The movie worked because the characters and situations were individualized and the mystery narrative was genuinely compelling, crafting a comic riff on Memento . But the funniest moment was an off-hand bit. About two-thirds into the film, Ed Helms sits on a piano bench and starts crooning an ode to a missing tiger that was stolen during the previous night of debauchery. Not only is the moment funny, but the song is genuinely clever, with Ed Helms proving that not only can he sing, but he can do a mean Elton John mimicry to boot. That little attention to detail is a key reason why The Hangover ended the summer as the third-highest grossing R-rated film and third-highest grossing comedy of all time. Scott Mendelson
 
Frontier Airlines Restructuring: 250 Denver Jobs May Move To Milwaukee Top
Republic Airways Holdings Inc., which is expected to acquire Frontier Airlines Oct. 1, is considering shifting up to 250 Denver-area Frontier jobs to Milwaukee or Indianapolis, according to a news report. The Journal Sentinel newspaper of Milwaukee, quoting Republic CEO Bryan Bedford, reports on its website that the jobs that could be moved include 150 heavy maintenance positions at Denver International Airport and around 100 other Denver-based positions.
 
Murray Fromson: Stand Up, Mr. President! Top
The United States has never before had a Foreign Legion like the hired guns the French used as enforcers during the days when the tri-color flew over their colonial empire in the 19th and 20th Centuries. They were soldiers of fortune, cherry-picked from some of the most ruthless military resources anywhere in the world. In short, many of them were scumbags for which the French took little public credit. The less they knew of these recruits, the better. If President Obama is beginning to look like a wimp, pre-occupied with bi-partisanship, now's the time to show the American people they're wrong. He can do that immediately by putting the brakes on the legion of private contractors recruited by the Pentagon to do the kind of work it would not dare assign to American GIs in Afghanistan. According to the New York Times there are far more of these hired guns doing America's bidding than soldiers who would be under stricter constraints if they were in uniform. From what we know of President Obama, we cannot believe he wants to have anything to do with a legion of foreigners who are not answerable to U.S. military commanders. According to the Congressional Research Service, the Times reported Wednesday, 57% of the Pentagon's force in Afghanistan consist of private contractors. They may be from the notorious Blackwater company, now known as Xe Services recruited by the Bush/Cheney Administration that made its name during the Abu Ghraib scandal in Iraq. It is not clear whether or not companies like Dyncorp International or ArmorGroup which is owned by Wackenhut Services are spinoffs from Blackwate/Xe or in some way are affiliated with them. For sure, the private contractors over the past two years consist of 65% of the non-military on duty in Afghanistan. Over the past two years, the figure would be even higher. What's clear is that each of these companies is being paid six figures that are difficult to track down. Some of the recruits are Afghans themselves, but apparently answerable to any American authority. Once and for all, President Obama needs to clamp down on the Pentagon. Its onerous policy of circumventing the Congress or any other body that would have the authority to investigate how and under what circumstances these hired guns go about their business without any apparent oversight borders on scandal, if not illegality. It is rather startling that the President has allowed himself to be drawn deeper into Afghanistan with a questionable election and probable instability hanging overhead It increasingly takes on the appearance of a quagmire. From the moment that General Stanley McChrystal assumed command of all U.S. forces there, you could wager on the likelihood that he would be asking for more troops to accomplish stability or achieve victory over the Taliban. Given the record of the past eight years, the casualties may seem insignificant. Nonetheless, they are steady and numbing. The same principle that has hounded every impressive three-or four-star general trying to earn his spurs in combat and every president who seems unable to resist the appeal for more troops to rescue the United States from the latest snakepit with honor. We have no substantive proof that Osama bin Laden is still alive or that the Pakistani army is willing to hunt him and his terrorists down ruthlessly. The American people have yet to be shown the extent to which Al Qaeda controls the insurgency in Afghanistan or Pakistan. We need proof, not conjecture, that we are involved in something other than an insoluble civil war. Unless President Obama is willing to offer the American people the whole truth and nothing but the truth, it is time to extricate ourselves from a hopeless mess. There's little to be gained in asking the Republicans to share in a joint Congressional investigation of the U.S. role in Afghanistan. The GOP is so politicized, so bitter and determined to embarrass and undermine President Obama. As a result it has forfeited a place at the table for a meaningful, bi-partisan discussion' to extricate the United States from yet another foreign policy mess. It is time for a senior senator like Russ Feingold of Wisconsin to step forward and summon every expert and every premise as Sen. William Fulbright of Arkansas did in 1966 on nationwide television to examine the premises of the Vietnam War. More on Afghanistan
 
Police Seize Rocket Launcher, TNT In Raid Top
Explosives, one live rocket launcher, a cache of guns, marijuana and cocaine were confiscated Wednesday from a home in unincorporated Antioch, and a father and son were taken into custody.
 
O'Reilly Encouraged An Obama Address To Schoolchildren Top
Yesterday, I ran down the myriad ways that the conservative fringe are agogging and aghasting at the prospect of President Barack Obama speaking to children and encouraging them to do their homework and not drop out of school, which is precisely the way Karl Marx suggested the a proletariat paradise could be achieved. You'd think that a president had never addressed America's children before. And you'd think that no one had ever previously imagined that President Obama might attempt to impart some inspirational advice to America's kids. But, if you thought that, you'd be wrong! In fact, as one emailer reminded me yesterday, at the beginning of August, one prominent media figure openly advocated for Obama to address America's children. That figure? Fox News's Bill O'Reilly. In the August 9 Parade Magazine, O'Reilly had a column titled " What President Obama Can Teach America's Kids. " This being Parade , it is about as anodyne as an opinion column can be. But, leaving that aside, O'Reilly's piece is a thoughtful and sentimental take on how the experiences Obama had lived could translate into lessons that children could benefit from -- things like "forgiveness" and "persistence." One of O'Reilly's suggestions reads as follows: A child does not go from taking English lessons in Indonesia to editing the Harvard Law Review without doing some tough work. The President earned his present job by performing in school and, later, in his various jobs. He was smart enough to lay a foundation for success. Early on as a kid, he understood the big picture. "Barack Obama loves his work," Saunders says. "And this is a great example for children. They must understand that work is very important and will ultimately define their lives." One can't help but notice how neatly this proposal dovetails with the content of Obama's planned Tuesday address, which the White House is making publicly available on Monday. And I'd have to think that O'Reilly would likely defend the idea of Obama making this address, having encouraged it. Unfortunately, when the O'Reilly Factor took up the matter Wednesday night, the show was under the stewardship of Laura Ingraham, who refused to accept any premise other than the most absurd and diabolical, turning loose Monica Crowley to call the planned address "surreal" and "Orwellian." Meanwhile, Alan Colmes registered quiet and unobtrusive objections. [WATCH] [Would you like to follow me on Twitter ? Because why not? Also, please send tips to tv@huffingtonpost.com -- learn more about our media monitoring project here .] More on Barack Obama
 
Linda Keenan: Health Debate Mobs Facebook: Is Changing Your Status A Worthless Gesture? Top
My middle initial is E, and trust me, that does not stand for Earnest. It takes quite a lot for me to shuck aside my crushing cynicism (which is really bad for your skin, by the way), and join the lemmings in a viral Facebook campaign. But that's just what I did yesterday, changing my status update to raise awareness about the need for health care reform. And I've been attacked for propagating a useless platitude. Is it a corny, worthless gesture? In case you are not on Facebook (gasp!), the status update in its original form went like this: "No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day." (And later, many people added a link to your congressman's office, to make the update more useful.) When I saw the update, I had the choice of telling my 300-odd friends about A. my favorite hilarious hair-device commercial ( BumpIts ) or b. voicing my feelings about the most important domestic policy debate of our time. I chose "B." I have hard time seeing that B. was somehow the bad choice there. Corny? Earnest? Yes, and yes. But is it worthless? One of my favorite professional arguers (Mike) made the case that the statement was simply empty boilerplate that does nothing to advance the debate, and is akin to saying "be nice to puppies!" I would agree that it does nothing to address how to fix the system. But many reform opponents do not even believe there is a problem, a fact that was driven home to me again this week after I wrote in the HuffPo about a friend who is gravely ill with cancer, who has insurance and has still gone bankrupt. Some friends and readers expressed shock at her story, which is not uncommon. So this status update was a way to tell my Facebook universe: I think there is indeed a problem. Now, if i had an ideologically pure friend-list, then yes, stating this surely would be worthless. Granted, the vast majority of my friends are like-minded. But a good ten percent are not. I respect them, and I think they respect me. Telling them that I believe there is a problem has value to me. I have also seen many debates erupt because of the update, and while some have been reflexive scream matches, several reform opponents have brought up some good points that perhaps I have overlooked. And no one got a finger bitten off. I would also add that sometimes it's easier to talk to your friends about politics online than in person: I don't typically yip-yap about the op-ed page on the phone with my best friend David. But he's been a very aggressive advocate for health care reform, among other issues, on Facebook, and his civic outreach and enthusiasm has had a lot of persuasive power with me. I will admit I did not care for the wording of the update, or the implication that people who oppose reform might want other people to die and go broke. I didn't want friends to think I believed that reform is a simple matter of morality and random acts of kindness and blowing pretty bubbles. I view it as a practical issue, a disastrous mess that left unchanged will hurt all of us. That's why I changed it to this: "No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS BAD FOR AMERICA, NOT BECAUSE IM A BRA-BURNING HAIRY HIPPIE." Yeah, I'm a Crazy Bitch. Which Crazy Bitch Am I? Courtney Love. I know, because I took the Facebook quiz. Actually, that would make a good status update. Crazy Bitches for Health Care Reform. I'm changing it right now. More on Barack Obama
 
Obama Kids "Indoctrination" Claim Debunked By Politifact Top
Politifact went to the trouble of investigating a claim made by the Florida Republican Party that President Obama's upcoming address to schoolchildren will "indoctrinate" the kids with "socialist ideology." Their conclusion: a "pants on fire" lie . We asked the Republican Party of Florida for evidence that Obama intended to discuss health care, banks, automobile companies or taxes with the nation's schoolchildren. They couldn't point us to anything. A spokesman said the party was particularly concerned about the study questions the department had provided. "The goal of these materials is to tell students why they should support President Obama in his overall agenda," said Katie Gordon. "If the former administration had done something like this, the media would be handling this a lot differently," she added. We reviewed the study materials but didn't see any mention of controversial issues, let alone any attempt to indoctrinate students in socialism. The pre-K through 6th grade materials said the main ideas of the speech would be "citizenship, personal responsibility, civic duty." The materials for high schoolers mention "personal responsibility, goals, persistence." As Politifact found, Obama's planned words are pretty innocuous , with a focus on doing well in school and behaving in class. That hasn't stopped some school districts from refusing to air the address. Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!
 
Pablo Manriquez: My Letter From My President Top
On September 2, the senior Republican on the House Education Committee, and the chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee wrote a letter their President saying, "Questions have arisen about the purpose of this address and some of the specific tasks suggested for young students." Writing letters to our President is a good thing. In second grade, I wrote a letter to my President grilling him on homeless issues and drug policy. I also asked for his autograph. As expected, he got back to me right away:
 
Quinn Names New University Of Illinois Trustees After Scandal Top
Governor Pat Quinn on Friday morning named new members of the University of Illinois board of trustees.
 
Robert Koehler: Winners Lose Top
The situation in Afghanistan is serious. We're getting "out-governed" by an enemy so ruthless it's bringing services to a desperate people ignored by the legitimate government we installed. But our eight-year quagmire . . . excuse me, war . . . can still be won, says Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in that country, who recently completed a review of the situation: "Success," he commented, "is achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy, commitment and resolve, and increased unity of effort." Before I salute crisply and shout "yes, sir!" I'd like to quote from an essay by Robert E. Draper called "Keys to Real Success -- Going Beyond 'Winning' and 'Losing' in Business With a Positive Attitude." I'm stuck, see, on the concept of "winning" this war, because human intelligence has mostly moved beyond this concept in every area of life except international relations, which remains a multi-trillion-dollar global bastion of Bronze Age thinking. "It is important," writes Draper, "to first realize that success, as most businesspeople know it, is always trailed by the shadow of the fear of failure and, therefore, is not real success at all. That's because real success cannot be found in a 'winning' that includes a potential for loss. . . . "To succeed at work requires adopting the mindset . . . of good card players," he goes on. "Like them, you play not for occasional fits of excitement, but to survive. This requires that you give long-range thinking priority in your mind, and that you never perceive a current gain that will be trailed by a long-term loss to be acceptable or even attractive." OK, let's jump now to a refugee camp in Kabul, where journalist Norman Solomon introduces us to a 7-year-old girl named Guljumma Khan, who lost her arm in a U.S. bombing raid, and whose father has gotten nowhere trying to get redress or the least support from the United States, the United Nations or the Afghan government to obtain medical assistance for her or take care of his family. Furthermore, Solomon writes, "Basics like food arrive at the camp only sporadically." The girl's father "pointed to a plastic bag containing a few pounds of rice. It was his responsibility to divide the rice for the 100 families" in the refugee camp. "Is the U.S. government willing to really help Guljumma, who now lives each day and night in the squalor of a refugee camp?" asks Solomon. "Is the government willing to spend the equivalent of the cost of a single warhead to assist her?" Morally speaking, what to do is remarkably obvious, graspable by virtually every human being on the planet, even, I believe, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. When pressed by reporters following news of the McChrystal report's completion, Gates said, according to Reuters, that "any recommendation for more forces would have to address his concerns that the foreign military presence in Afghanistan could become too large and be seen by Afghans as a hostile occupying force." There are 103,000 U.S./NATO troops in Afghanistan now; the country has been bombed (15,000 tons and counting) and occupied for eight years, with maybe 8,000 civilians killed in the process (God knows how many wedding parties bombed and strafed), many more injured and displaced -- and the U.S. secretary of defense feels we're pushing the limits of Afghan tolerance. Up the troop ante and they'll think we're a hostile presence. Well, Team Bush never equivocated in its Bronze Age ferocity. Maybe, I initially thought, Gates' flicker of intelligent uncertainty -- his feint in the direction of sanity -- can be counted as progress, not by the desperate and starving Afghans, perhaps, but by the Obama voting base. So far, this is the extent of the "change" and "hope" we've gotten from his administration in the ongoing, disastrous wars of choice he inherited. Because the Taliban, with a counter-agenda to advance, is incorporating a hearts-and-minds approach into its strategy for victory, the U.S. and NATO are grasping that they have to do likewise. So, on second thought, it's probably not moral progress at all, just further evidence that anonymous geocorporate interests control international relations. When our leaders, even those who promise peace, sit in the driver's seat of war, they surrender their ordinary humanity -- their consciences -- and assume the mindset and agenda of those anonymous interests. In Afghanistan, this agenda includes regional dominance, the flow of oil (the pipeline) and, as with every war, the stoking of the military economy. This is what "winning" in Afghanistan really means -- armless 7-year-olds be damned -- and McChrystal is right. It's still possible. Even probable. War commands debate on its own terms. Read or listen to the mainstream coverage: It conveys the details of war in a context devoid of moral intelligence. Yet for ordinary humanity, wars can never be "won." They can only be ended and, ultimately, transcended. (Robert Koehler is an award-winning, Chicago-based journalist and nationally syndicated writer. You can respond to this column at koehlercw@gmail.com or visit his Web site at commonwonders.com.) © 2009 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
 
Suzanne Langlois: The Many Flavors of Kool-Aid® Top
Last night I went to a town hall meeting in West Hartford, Connecticut hosted by first district representative the Honorable John Larsen. I planned to sit in on the health care reform debate inside the auditorium, but the real story, from my perspective, was outside on the granite steps of the gracious old building. The two opposing factions had mustered early. The conservative coalition, opposed to health care insurance reform, needed time to set up their props at the edge of the lawn closest to the well traveled main thoroughfare. The street theater tableau included a full size coffin complete with a Halloween skeleton. 'OBAMACARE KILLS SENIORS' was crudely stenciled on the lid. I did a quick head count of the folks clustered around the coffin and the balance of the tricornered hat, flag waving, proponents of limited government, arrayed up the steps to the front doors of town hall. There were about 80-90. A man with a bullhorn called the tunes. So began the chants: "WHERE'S YOUR FLAG" over and over, followed by several minutes of '"IT'S NOT YOUR MONEY' and 'HAND'S OFF OUR HEALTH CARE" the big finish was 'LET FREEDOM RING' The relentless chanting of slogans began sometime in the hour of five and lasted until well after sun set. The most colorful character at the protest also had the biggest flag. The man looked to be about sixty, he was dressed in flag pants and a star bandana to compliment a Viet Nam vintage t-shirt which read 'I'm still not Fonda Hanoi Jane'. From what I was able to deduce from his rant, I think the man might have been from the former Yugoslavia, as there was a lot of 'Tito' and 'Communism' in his otherwise unintelligible diatribe. From time to time he would in inexplicably leap into the air and swing his really big flag in circles. Both sides gave him wide berth. The conservative activists, to my mind, made up for the discrepancy in their number by the intensity of their zeal. The pro health care reform group (unlike the angry patriots) was a much more diverse group comprised of more women and many different ethnicities. They were, by and large, younger and not nearly as exorcised as those on the right. Many carried professionally printed signs and wore matching red t-shirts which read 'Healthcare 4 All ' There were approximately 150-160 pro health care reform activists on the lawn and up the steps. Among their number were a half dozen medical students in white coats with stethoscopes hanging around their necks. Their chant in reply to the opposition's cry "Kill the bill'" was "Read the bill." Promptly at five o:clock the police unlocked the doors. The fire marshal admitted exactly the number of citizens as was permitted by the occupancy placard posted above the interior doors. The doors were then locked again. I was at the front of the line but did not make the cut in the first round. I was not wearing anything that would immediately identify me with either position but I carried a pad and was writing down my observations. The people most interested in talking to me were those opposed to health care insurance reform. Their principle theme was couched as 'We are patriotic and so by definition the people who disagree with our position against health care for all, are unpatriotic.' Socialism was another prevailing theme. If you were for available, affordable healthcare for everyone you were branded a socialist, along with those other notable socialists, Representative John Larsen and President Barack Obama. The Most Oblique Placard of the day award went to the quote attributed to Ronald Reagan, "Evil is Powerless if the Good are Unafraid." Eventually I was admitted to the inside meeting. Questions were asked and answered respectfully by Representative Larsen and a panel of four experts from the insurance and medical fields. There were only a few out bursts from the opposition which were hushed with a librarian style 'shush' from the crowd. Comity prevailed. As I left the building at the end of the meeting most of the crowd had dispersed with the exception of the a small band of conservative patriots still chanting " DON"T MISS YOUR BUS."
 
The United Steaks Of America (SLIDESHOW) Top
Dominic Episcopo , an artist out of Philadelphia, takes photos of everything from high fashion to food, celebrities to celery. While much of his work belongs on the Style and Entertainment pages of this site, we here at the Comedy vertical are obsessed with his series "The United Steaks of America" that uses ribeyes and sirloins alike to carve out our country. Tell us which is your favorite! More on Photo Galleries
 
Afghan Scandal: 8 Guards Fired, 2 Resigned Top
KABUL — Eight security guards at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan have been fired following allegations of lewd behavior and sexual misconduct at their living quarters, the embassy said Friday. The Kabul senior management team of ArmorGroup North America, the private contractor that provides the guards for the State Department, is also "being replaced immediately," an embassy statement said. The statement said the guards who were fired left the country Friday. Two other guards resigned and left. Their names and nationalities were not released. The statement said all 10 appeared in photographs that depicted guards and supervisors in various stages of nudity at parties flowing with alcohol. A team from the State Department inspector general has arrived to lead an investigation, the embassy said. The scandal surfaced this week when an independent watchdog said guards were subjected to abuse and hazing by supervisors. The Project on Government Oversight contended the situation had led to a breakdown in morale and leadership that compromised security at the embassy in Kabul, where nearly 1,000 U.S. diplomats, staff and Afghan nationals work. Nearly two-thirds of the 450 embassy guards are Gurkhas from Nepal and northern India who speak little English, a situation that creates communications breakdowns, the group said. Pantomime is often used to convey orders and instructions. In at least one case, supervisors brought prostitutes into the quarters where the guards live, a serious breach of security and discipline, the watchdog said this week. In other instances, members of the guard force drew Afghans into activities forbidden by Muslims, such as drinking alcohol, it said. On Thursday, the embassy said alcohol had been prohibited at Camp Sullivan – the offsite location where ArmorGroup guards live – and diplomatic security staff had been assigned to the camp. More on Afghanistan
 
Treasury Nominee Jeffrey Goldstein Has Million-Dollar Ties To Private Equity Industry Top
Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Jeffrey Goldstein, the private- equity executive nominated to be Treasury undersecretary, is obligated to pay at least $10.5 million to several investment partnerships, according to an ethics filing.
 
Daley Considering Privatizing Snow Plowing Top
Mayor Richard Daley's administration is considering how it handles one of its most sacred duties: plowing snow from the city's streets.
 
Steve Clemons: Zinni calls on Obama to Release "National Strategy Report" and for US "Smart Power" Functions to be Organized in a New Military Command Top
This is an eight minute exchange with retired 4-star General and former CENTCOM Commander and Israel/Palestine presidential envoy Anthony Zinni. It's well worth watching. Among the interesting zingers offered by General Zinni, he suggests (1) that the Obama administration needs to issue its "National Security Strategy" which by law it is supposed to do within 150 days of the administration; (2) that the "smart power" functions of our global security agenda would be better served by taking the 'civil affairs' functions out of the military units in which they operate and stand them up as a separate and distinct Pentagon command -- which would coordinate with the State Department and US AID; and (3) that the envoy process is disruptive, distracting, and usually disappointing. Zinni's proposals are provocative and substantive. I have asked someone at the Department of State about possibly responding. Hopefully this will happen in the near term. Anthony Zinni, Chairman of the Board of BAE Systems, is author of Leading the Charge: Leadership Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom . -- Steve Clemons directs the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note
 
Derrick Crowe: Afghanistan: Where This Is Going Top
Note: Derrick Crowe is the Afghanistan blog fellow for Brave New Foundation / The Seminal . The poisonous tree of counterinsurgency continues to bear fruit in Afghanistan. Reports indicate that tensions are rising over the fraudulent election. The potential for violence is very real. President Karzai's main opponent in the election, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, has ruled out participation in a unity government and flatly stated he will not accept an election result that returns Karzai to power. A doctrine that views the situation as "with the government or against it" is dangerous and will inflame the situation. From The Washington Post : ...tension and suspicion have mounted as the vote count drags on amid widening charges of electoral fraud. Afghans are confused, jittery and bracing for street violence -- or at least a protracted period of political polarization and drift. From the Times UK : Hundreds of tribal elders and officials from southern Afghanistan gathered in Kabul yesterday to protest against alleged electoral fraud that robbed entire districts of their votes and allocated them to President Karzai. In a string of searing testimonies, community leaders told of villages that had been too terrified to vote because of Taleban threats -- yet had mysteriously produced full ballot boxes. They said that most of the phantom votes had been cast for Mr Karzai, often by his own men or tribal leaders loyal to him. "How is it that in a district which a governor can only visit once every two years, where it's too dangerous for the police to go, where even Nato can't fly -- how come there were 20,000 votes collected?" asked Hamidullah Tokhy, a tribal elder from Kandahar province. Some of the gathered leaders went so far as to pledge armed resistance should the election commission (all Karzai appointees, led by an outspoken Karzai partisan) validate the corrupted election. Of particular worry is this pledge of violent resistance from a leader in Helmand, into which U.S. forces have pushed to attempt to challenge the Taliban: Haji Abdul Manan, an elder from Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, where British Forces have engaged in heavy fighting with the Taleban, said that most people had been too scared to venture out on election day. "In all the districts there was fraud. Nobody could vote, but the ballot boxes were full of votes for Hamid Karzai," he said. Earlier, speaking on the podium, Mr Manan called for a violent response to the fraud, a sign that disenchantment with the polls could further aggravate Afghanistan's already bloody political landscape. "I implore military resistance. I swear to God, if an Islamic government does not take office we're against it," he said. "The Americans are entering our houses. Our sons are being killed," he added. Lashkar Gah is a major Pashtun population center; an uprising there would be a nightmare. It should go without saying that if anti-government violence breaks out in Helmand and other Pashtun regions independent of the incitement of the Taliban, there would be absolutely no room to argue against the conclusion that counterinsurgency has failed (I already believe this to be the case; however a widespread uprising would confirm it beyond a shadow of a doubt.). President Obama is now ensnared in a trap of counterinsurgency's making. Should violence break out, motivated not by jihadist extremism or Taliban-inspired ultra-nationalism but by popular rejection of the legitimacy of the Karzai government, counterinsurgency doctrine will offer absolutely no useful guidance. Define "insurgency" in this situation against which we must be the "counterinsurgents." How would a counterinsurgent distinguish between a man with an AK-47 attacking government buildings motivated by jihadism versus patriotism? You can see where this is going. P.S. Considering the history of the last eight months, now is the exact wrong time to add more troops. Prior to the last escalation, much was written about the possibility of intensified U.S. pressure leading to the re-fusion of the various insurgent factions and al-Qaida. Those concerns turned out to be prescient . Should a popular violent outbreak occur, you should expect the same dynamic to play out between those rejecting the Karzai government and the Taliban insurgents. P.S.S. Enjoy your weekend, Mr. President. More on Afghanistan
 
Michaela Watkins & Casey Wilson FIRED From SNL Top
Sources outside the show, and backed up by anonymous sources from within 30 Rock, have informed me that Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson appear to have been let go from Saturday Night Live and won't be returning this season (although they may have participated in some pre-taped ad parodies and digital shorts). They're no longer listed in specific office protocol. So it looks as though Lorne Michaels hired Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad not as additional females to the cast, but rather to replace Watkins and Wilson. More on SNL
 
Robert Naiman: Team Obama Divided, Public Strongly Opposed, to More Troops in Afghanistan Top
Top officials of the Obama Administration are divided on the expected request of the Pentagon for more troops in Afghanistan, the New York Times reports today . The military's anticipated request for more troops to combat the insurgency in Afghanistan has divided senior advisers to President Obama as they try to determine the proper size and mission of the American effort there, officials said Thursday. Leading the opposition is Vice-President Biden: Leading those with doubts is Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has expressed deep reservations about an expanded presence in Afghanistan on the grounds that it may distract from what he considers the more urgent goal of stabilizing Pakistan, officials said. No-one can plausibly argue that Vice-President Biden has no idea what he's talking about. Remember, this was the guy chosen to balance the ticket with "foreign policy experience," the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Nor is Biden a pacifist or shy about foreign intervention. He voted for the Iraq war in 2002 and promoted U.S. military intervention in the former Yugoslavia. Secretary of State Clinton has been "vocal" in favor of more troops and some officials said they expected her to be an advocate for a more robust force, the Times says. But Biden has the wind of public opinion at his back. A number of recent polls show that the majority of Americans - and the overwhelming majority of Democrats - now oppose the Afghan war. But on the question of sending more troops, public opinion is even more clear. They're against it. McClatchy News reports , citing a recent poll: 56 percent oppose sending any more combat troops to Afghanistan, while 35 percent support sending more troops. The McClatchy poll is particularly striking because it shows how widespread opposition to sending more troops is among different demographic groups: Opposition to sending more troops also cuts across almost all lines, with the deepest opposition coming from women, young people, those making less money, people with less than a high school education, Hispanics and independents, followed closely by Democrats. Only one group, Republicans, had a majority supporting the dispatch of more troops. Women oppose sending more troops by the lopsided margin of 60-30, men by 52-40. The biggest opposition to sending more combat troops comes from people who're 18-34 -- those most likely to fight -- and drops with age. Young adults oppose additional troops by a margin of 61-32; those who're 35-54 oppose it by 54-37; and those who're 55 and older were against it 53-36. Similarly, those who make the least money were the most opposed, with those making less than $25,000 opposed by a margin of 70-27; those making $25,000-$50,000 opposed by a margin of 58-35; and those making more than $50,000 split, 45-45. Since we're all about promoting democracy, let's have some democracy here. Since the American people are opposed to sending more troops to Afghanistan, let's not do it. With the public opposed, with many in Congress deeply skeptical, with the Administration divided, we should be able to stop this. Suppose that a bipartisan resolution were introduced in Congress against sending more troops. With the public clearly opposed, wouldn't such a resolution attract significant support? If such a resolution did attract significant support, wouldn't this affect the calculations of the Administration? The first step to ending this war is stopping its escalation. Let Members of Congress - Democratic and Republican - hear from their constituents that they are opposed to sending more troops to Afghanistan. More on Afghanistan
 
Stefan Sirucek: YouTube Shifts Policy, Starts Paying One-Hit-Wonders Top
Well more like 20-million-hit-wonders. On Sunday NPR reported that popular video-sharing site Youtube has begun paying those with hit videos, even if they only have one: "The online video Web site recently announced that users who create just one viral video are eligible for advertising partnerships with the company. Now, those behind the videos that become the next big thing on YouTube can cash in on their 15 minutes of fame." Full Story This is news because while the Youtube Partners program has existed for a while, it was previously mainly for people with lots of high-quality videos - filmmakers, comedians, how-to gurus - people who were regularly producing entertaining content that drove traffic and therefore advertising dollars to Youtube. Early stars and Youtube royalty like Lisa Donovan (Lisa Nova) and Michael Buckley have been members since early on, receiving shared revenue from the ads on their videos. According to an article that appeared in the New York Times last December the top Youtube Partners do quite well, making comfortable six figure incomes by regularly producing videos for the site. Yet the fact remains that fame in the internet age is usually accidental. It's impossible to predict what sort of video will strike a chord and be the next to sweep the world. Therefore, some of the biggest hits on Youtube are, and will continue to be, accidental one-hit-wonders. For the above piece NPR interviewed David Devore, whose simple home video of his son, befuddled after a dentist's appointment, has garnered about 28 million views. (WATCH: "David After Dentist" ) In the interview Davore states that his family has made about $25,000 dollars from the 2- minute video so far. At 28 million views currently, that's about 900 bucks for every million views. Since now a single video that goes viral can make a person eligible for the Partners program, essentially Youtube has just made it easier to randomly strike internet gold. In the future that video of a kid's wacky 5th birthday may help pay for his college tuition. Or his dental work. More on NPR
 

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